In the team’s home event, Guest and co-driver, David Green, suffered gearbox and rear differential problems in Heat 1, and had little joy in Heat 2, finishing fifth.
In the first full round of the ARC to be held on tarmac, a rally owned by his team boss, Les Walkden, Guest had hoped to be in the running for a podium finish to build on his sixth place in this year’s championship. But it wasn’t to be.
“We had a centre differential problem all day, which was making the car understeer badly,” Guest explained.
“There are four different settings in the centre diff and it was switching between them for no reason. It made the car very difficult to drive, and very dangerous if it switched under braking or in the middle of a corner.
“The team checked everything over at service, but the problem persisted and, as a result, we’ve had a really frustrating day.
“It’s fair to say that luck certainly hasn’t gone our way.”
After a successful test session, Guest had been confident of performing well, and a couple of fourth fastest times – despite his problems – showed that the car had the speed if everything went to plan.
The team now shift their focus back to the gravel for the final round of the championship, to be held at Coffs Harbour on the NSW central coast. Like the Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge, the Coffs Harbour event makes its ARC debut, and will be held on November 15 and 16.
Guest, from Lake Macquarie, has competed in the Coffs Harbour region on many occasions, and will be hoping to end a challenging year on a good note.
Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge – Heat 2
Results – ARC
Heat 2 Results – ARC
1. N Bates/C Taylor, Toyota TRD Corolla S2000, 47mins 22.1secs
2. S Evans/S Evans, Toyota TRD Corolla S2000, +31.9 secs (diff to leader)
3. C Brooks/D Willson, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, +1:12.3
4. G Raymond/M Raymond, Toyota Corolla Sportivo, +1:20.5
5. B Kaitler/J Allen, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6, +1:31.0
6. M Guest/D Green, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, +1:32.6
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